The Information Society ISSN: 0197-2243 (Print) 1087-6537 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/utis20 The Quality of Online and Offline Relationships: The Role of Multiplexity and Duration of Social Relationships Gustavo Mesch & Ilan Talmud To cite this article: Gustavo Mesch & Ilan Talmud (2006) The Quality of Online and Offline Relationships: The Role of Multiplexity and Duration of Social Relationships, The Information Society, 22:3, 137-148, DOI: 10.1080/01972240600677805 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01972240600677805 Published online: 24 Feb 2007. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 1755 View related articles Citing articles: 14 View citing articles Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=utis20 Download by: [University of Liverpool] Date: 05 November 2016, At: 08:26 The Information Society, 22: 137–148, 2006 Copyright c Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 0197-2243 print / 1087-6537 online DOI: 10.1080/01972240600677805 The Quality of Online and Offline Relationships: The Role of Multiplexity and Duration of Social Relationships Gustavo Mesch Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel Ilan Talmud Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel As the proportion of households in the population of Recent studies have shown that adolescents use the Internet Western countries gaining access to the Internet is increas- not only to maintain social relationships with distant relatives and ing, empirical evidence is accumulating that the Internet friends but also to create new relationships online; some of these is becoming more and more integrated in individuals’ ev- friendships become integrated into their social circle. Research has eryday life, including the formation and maintenance of focused mainly on the effect of the Internet on existing relationships intimate and nonintimate social relationships (Haythorn- or the nature of online-only ties, so studies comparing the quality thwaite & Wellman, 2002; Wellman & Giulia, 1999). Early of online and face-to-face relationships are missing. The goal of this studies reflected a concern with decreasing social involve- study is to bridge this gap. In keeping with previous studies on so- ment and compared Internet users and nonusers on the cial association, we argue that the quality of social relationships is extent of their involvement in their existing social relation- dependent on duration and diversity of topics and activities carried ships. They found that the impact of the Internet on existing together.Time is important, as it facilitates the development of a col- lective shared history and identity. Intimacy develops through the relationships was mixed. Relying on samples of new users participation in shared activities and discussion of diverse issues of only, they found a decrease in the involvement with pre- personal concern. Using a representative sample of the adolescent vious ties (Kraut et al., 1998; Nie et al., 2002). However, population in Israel, we find that closeness to a friend is a function more recent studies using larger samples have shown that of social similarity, content and activity multiplexity, and duration Internet use does not affect involvement in close relation- of the relationships. Friendships originated in the Internet are per- ships and the community (Katz & Rice, 2002; Hampton ceived as less close and supportive because they are relatively new &Wellman, 2003; Mesch & Levanon, 2003). It even sup- and online friends are involved in less joint activities and less topics ports and maintains relationships with friends and family of discussion. The implications of the findings are discussed. after moving to a new location (Cummings et al., forth- coming). Other studies restricted themselves to the study Keywords computer-mediated communication, Internet use, online of online social relationships only, documenting the ex- and offline social networks, strength of ties istence of supportive, intimate, and personal relationships online (Walther & Boyd, 2002; McKenna & Bargh, 1998). Recent studies have shown that individuals use the Inter- net not only to maintain existing close ties but also to create Received 7 May 2005; accepted 15 January 2006. new relationships in which companionship, social support, This research was supported with grants from the Israel Foundation of Trustees, grant 23/2000, the Minerva Center for Youth Studies, and and information exchange take place. In some cases these support from the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford, online relationships become incorporated into the Internet UK, to the first author. users’ face-to-face social circles (Parks & Floyd, 1996; Address correspondence to Gustavo Mesch, Department of Soci- Hampton & Wellman, 2002; Mesch & Levanon, 2003; ology and Anthropology, University of Haifa, Har Hacarmel 31905, Wolak et al., 2003; Mesch & Talmud, 2004). The effect of Israel. E-mail: [email protected] the Internet on existing relationships has been extensively 137 138 G. MESCH AND I. TALMUD studied, but the literature is wanting in comparative stud- ties that are created and maintained through the Internet. ies of the quality of personal relationships created online Early conceptualizations, with a technological determin- and those created in face-to-face settings. The goal of the istic bent, described the weakness of electronic media current study is to fill this gap. Using recently collected in supporting social ties. According to the “reduced so- data of a representative sample of the adolescent popula- cial cues perspective,” computer-mediated communication tion in Israel, we investigated the differences in the quality (CMC) allows the exchange of fewer cues than face-to- of personal relationships created online and face-to-face. face environments and therefore it is less appropriate for the support of emotional exchanges or the conveyance of complex information and a sense of social presence. Cor- PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS DURING respondingly, reduced social cues make the CMC environ- ADOLESCENCE ment more suited for supporting weak ties by reducing the We focused on personal relationships during adolescence. risks associated with contacting unknown others (Sproul During this period, social relationships outside the family & Kiesler, 1986; Rice & Love, 1987). This early perspec- expand and their quality has been linked to various behav- tive is quite skeptical of the ability of CMC to support ioral outcomes (Giordano, 2003). Social interaction with strong ties. peers provides a forum for learning and refining socioemo- Social constructivists, by contrast, argue that some fea- tional skills needed for enduring relationships. Through in- tures of online communication, such as anonymity, isola- teractions with peers, adolescents learn how to cooperate, tion, lack of “gating features,” and ease of finding others to take different perspectives, and to satisfy growing needs with the same interests, make it easier for individuals to for intimacy (Rubin, Bukowski, & Parker, 1998; Crosnoe, form strong ties (McKenna et al., 2002; Joinson, 2001). 2000). Youth who report having friends are more confi- The formation of close interpersonal relationships requires dent, more altruistic, and less aggressive, and demonstrate the establishment of trust, that is, a sense that intimate in- greater school involvement and work orientation (Hartup formation disclosed in interpersonal exchanges will nei- & Stevens, 1997). ther be widely disseminated nor used to ridicule friends. Youniss and Smollar (1985) have argued that ado- The relative anonymity of the Internet reduces the risks of lescents’ friends are intimate and more accepting than such disclosure, whereas disclosing intimate information parents, who are necessarily more oriented toward the to members of a face-to-face community can be embar- future and more concerned with the potentially negative rassing (McKenna et al., 2002). consequences of their child’s behavior. This greater Empirical evidence for these perspectives is mixed. A level of acceptance helps explain the high levels of few studies report that the quality of online social interac- self-disclosure and mutual trust that often develop and tions and relationships is lower than that of face-to-face in- are characteristics of close friendship ties (Crosnoe et al., teractions (Haythornthwaite, 2002). Employees of a multi- 2003; Giordano, 2003). In that sense, for adolescents national bank reported that e-mail communication was less personal relationships are a type of social support. Those reliable than face-to-face (Cummings, Butler, & Kraut, with more supportive friendships have been shown to 2002). In another study, college students evaluated e-mail have higher self-esteem, to suffer depression or other communication as inferior to communication in person for emotional disorders less often, and to be better adjusted to maintaining personal relationships (Cummings, Butler, & school than youth with less supportive friendships (Berndt Kraut, 2002). In other words, offline friends are perceived et al., 1989; Hartup & Stevens, 1997; Collins et al., 1999; to be closer because the quality of communication with Beraman & Moody, 2004). face-to-face friends is higher than with online friends. The literature on personal relations has